Game apparatus



Jul 27, 1926.

1,594,016 F. MARSHALL v GAME APPARATUS Filed March 25, 1926' INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYQ.

-- return in the opposite direction into its peev portions to expose toview the dice-cup and,

Patented July 27 1926.

UNITED sTATEsr FREDERICK vrAnsr'I-A L, or aur'rsntmein mwsrnv mr."

v GAME APPARATUS.

Application fil ed March 25, 1926.. Serial I\To. 97;4=28." 1 I f Ingeneral, ray-invention relatesto mechamcal means for throwing dice orsimilar ob ects. I

lVlore particularly {my invention comprises a dice-cup mounted to rotateon a vertical axis and provided with spring means toreturn it to apredetermined position ofrest, and an actuating member also movable on'a Vertical axis and arranged to cause the dice-cup to rotate with ittoa predetermined degree against the influence of the spring means,whereupon the operative connection between the actuating member and. thedicecup is automatically released and thedicecup is precipitouslyrotated by its spring sition of rest. I II I The actuating member'ispreferably a disk arrangedior'hand-rotatio I I I preferably provide asecond member or disk moving with the actuating member and the dice-cup,the mechanism being so ar ranged that whensaid second member at; I

milled so tains a predetermined position the] release and return ot'thedice cup takes place.

The second member is preferably [a disk having marked on its face oneorm'ore numbers or other symbolsfland; when a chosen symbol attains agiven position therelease of the dice-cup occurs.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention the mechanism is inclosed ina case having a, lid provided with transparent I have illustrated thebest embodiment'ot the principles of my invention now known to me, Fig.1 is a plan view; Fig. 2 is a similar view withthe lid of the case removed; Fig. 53 is a vertical sectiontaken along the lineIII-III inFig.1; Fig. lis a side elevation of the disks and the dice cup; and Fig.5 is an inverted plan view of the, dice cup. r I Referring to thedrawings 1 represents the hat shallow box or casing having a removablelidy2. 3 represents a fiatshallow dicecuphaving an axial'hubd whichraises the cup/slightly above the floor of the casing, and '5 is a pivotscrew extending through saidhub and screwed into a threaded hole in thefloor of the casing. l I

The hub l---is provided with a perimetral notch 6 which is engaged byone end of a spring 1 whose other end issecured to the stud 8 extendingupwardly from the tloor .oft he box. 9 represents an abutment pinagainst which the spring 7 bears as the' cup" is rotatedcounterclockwise. 7 10 represents a disk'which' is concentrlcallyconnected to the smaller disk 11 by means of their common hub 12and-said disks are mounted to rotate onthe pivot I screw 13 whichextends through saidhub and is screwed into a threaded hole in thebottom of the case 1. The "p'erimetral edge of the disk 10 protrudesthrough a slot 14:

in the end wall ofthe case Ltso that it may be rotated by thejfinger ofthe playen- The perimetral edge of the disk 10' is preferably n that itmay beeasily rotated with anngen I The disk ll has it-supper face markedor provided with one or more numeralsor other symbols. 4

portion 15 exposes the dice box to view.

I The lid 2 has two trans parent or glass-filled portions l5 and' 16,-the latterbeing shown heart-shaped, The

The portion 16 exposes'a portion otthe disk I 'llto view, the aperturein the solid portion otthe disk surrounding th'etransparent por tion 16beingpreferably, provided with a projection orpointer 17 in relation towhich the player reads the symbol or symbols on thediskll.

Means are provided whereby the-disks :10 and 11 may be rotatecl in butone direction; clockwise inFigs. l. and 2. v springlS attached tothesid'e walloi' the case hasfia bent free end which engages suitableteeth onthe perimeter of'the diskll.

' The disk 10 is provided on its. uppertface fixed to the dice-cup andextending radially into the path of-said post; I

Thus as they disk 10 is rotated clockwise,

the post 19; picks up the lever 20; as shown Thus a leat on l with apost IQ-Whichpicks up a lever 20 in solid lines in: Fig. 2, and rotatesthe dicecup 3 counterclockwise until the post moves oil the end-of thelever, as shown in dotted lines in; Fig. 2; whereuponfthe spring 7,

which has been storingiqpower during the VCOHIIlZGIOlOClIWlSQJIOQELtlOII of the dice-cup, 1

causes the dice-cup to be rotated violently back to its position ofrest, thusthrowing the dice 21 which are contained in the cup.

In case the dicecup be not held truly horizontal, there wouldbe atendency for the dice to slide along the lower side of the cup withoutupsetting, To prevent this, I corrugate the perimetral wall of .the cup,so that such sliding is prevented and the dice are given repeatedkici-rsduring the throwmovement of the dice-cup. To further facilitate theupsetting or proper throwing of the dice, I provide the bottom of thecup with a plurality of raised ribs 22 which may be radially disposed,and which may be formed by pressing up the material of the cup. When thedice-cup is thrown these ribs aid materially in producing a proper throwI of the dice;

My invention provides a convenient and attractive game apparatus whichmay be entertaininglyused in playing a great number of games.

It will be noted that the, indicating disk .11. is provided ,With anannular series of gr-aduations, and with certain of the same marked withnumerals. Thus in the drawings the numerals 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 areplaced opposite the corresponding grad-uations.

The lever 20 on'the .dice cup 3 and the post 19 on the disk 10 arearranged so that when aselected graduation moves into position at thepointer 17 the dice cup is released and the dice are thrown. Thus in theapparatus illustrated in the drawings the twenty-first graduation on thesmall disk 13 is the selected graduation whose registration with thepointer 17 is simultaneous with the release of the dice cup One mannerof employing the above described game apparatus is for a plurality ofplayers to take turns in rotating the disk 10 to bring a graduationchosen by the individual player into registration with the pointer 17,each player being required to rotate the disk 10 sufficiently to advanceat least one graduation on the disk 13 but not more than saysix'graduations for one play, so that a player can not besure-ofshooting the dice every time he plays. The aim of the playeris'to make such turns of the disk so to control the shooting of thedice, and either have it occur during one of his turns or to make itoccur during the turn of an opponent, according to the manner ofscoring. The players aim is to cause the dice to be thrown when it will:score in his favor.

Thus the rules may provide for a score in a players favor first when thedice are thrown during one of his turns of play, and

next when the dice are thrown during an opponents turn of play. Thus thegame in a degree resembles chess, in that the plays are planned aheadsons to effect a throw durcup to be :rotated ingone of the playerls turnand to prevent a throw during the turn of an opponent or vice versa, asthe rules may provide.

Suppose the first ponent can not throw the dice on his secoi'id playbecause he is not penmittedto move the disk more than six graduationswhich would bring the twentieth graduation into registration with thepointer. However, the first player-.onhis third play by moving the diskone graduation, bringing .the twentyfirst graduation into registrationwith the pointer is able to shoot the dice. If the rules provide that onthe second series of play the first player can score onlv it hisopponent shoots the dice, it is evident that the first player, byplanning ahead and selecting the number of gragduations which he movesthe disk on each play, can force his opponent to shoot the dice and thusobtain a score in his own favor.

Thus skill is involved first in choosing t-he'proper graduations orcombination of graduationswhich will cause the dice to be thrown when athrow will score for the V ala ter in ruestion and second to choose theproper graduations or combination of graduations to avoid making a throwof the dice when such a throw would score against the player.

What I desire to claim is 1. In a game apparatus, the combination ofadicecup mounted to rotate, an actuating member mounted to turngon anaxis parallel with the axis of the dice-cup, an intermittent pickrupconnection whereby the turning actuating member causes the dicefrom itsposition of rest, andstored power means for precipitously returning thedice-cup to its position of rest.

2; In a game apparatus, the combination of a dice-cup mounted to rotate,a member mounted to rotate .on a parallel axis and adapted: to beactuated by the player, a post on said member and a radially disposedlever onsaid dice-cup comprising a pick-up connection between the memberand the dicecup, andstored power means for-precipitous'ly rotating thedice-cup back into its position of rest when said pick-up connectionbecomes released.

3. In a game apparatus, the combination of a dice-cup mounted to rotate,a-member ill) , sent a given indication when the pick-upf the rotationof the first mentioned disk mounted to, rotate on a parallel axis andadapted to be actuated-by the player, a post i on said member and aradially disposed lever on said dice-cup comprising a pick-up connectionbetween the member and the dicecup, stored power means for precipitouslyrotating the dicecup back into its position of rest when said pick-upconnection becomes released, and indicating means moving with saidmember and arranged to pro-' duce a given indication contemporaneouslywith the release of the pick-up connection.

a. In a game apparatus, the combination of a dice-cup mounted to rotate,a member mounted to rotate on a parallel axis, a pick- .up connectionbetween said dice-cup and said member comprised ofa poet carried by oneof the same and a radially disposed lever carried by the other of thesame whereby the rotation of the member will cause a partial rotation ofthe dice-cup, and stored power means for precipitously returning thedice-cup to its position of rest when the pick-up connection isreleased.

5. In a game apparatus, the combination of a dice-cup mounted torotate,amember mounted to rotate on a parallel axis, a pickup connectionbetween said dice cup and said I member comprisedof a post carried byone of the same and a radially dis'posed lever carried by the other ofthe same whereby the rotation of the member will cause a partia-lrotation of the dice-cup, stored power means for precipitouslyreturningthe dice cup toits position ofrest when the pick-up bol, apick-upconnection between thefirst I mentioned diskfand the dice-cupwhereby causes a partial rotation of the dice-cup, and

stored power means whereby when the pickup connection is released thedice-cup 1S precipitously returned to its position of rest, the secondnamed disk being arranged to display its symbol in an indicatingposition,

at the instant of such'release. a r

7. In a game apparatus, the combination of a dice-cup mounted to rotate,a disk mounted torotate on aparallel axis,'a sec- 0nd diskconcentricwith the first mentioned disk and provided withan' indicating symbol, apick-up connection between the first mentioned disk and the dice-cupcomprising a post carried bygone of thesame and a ra-. dially disposedlever carried by the other of the same whereby the rotation of thegfirst mentioned disk causes a partial rotation of.

' the dicecup,- and stored power means where-r,

by whenthe pickaip'connection'is released the dice-cup is precipitouslyreturned toits" 7 position of rest, the second named'disk being 7 7arranged to display its symbol in an indicating position at the instantOfSllCllfrelease. 8. In a game apparatus, the combination of a dice-cupmounted for rotatiom neans for causing a rotary motion of said d ce cup,1

and stored' power means for r precipitously ,s 5,

returning the dice-cupto itspositionof rest,

provided with inwardly extendiiigiprojecthe perimetral wall of saiddice-cup being tion's adapted to impinge against the dice I and augmentthe throwing effectof the 'return movement of the dice-cup.

9. In a game apparatus, the combination of a dice-cup mounted'fo'rrotation, means for causing a rotarymotion of said d cecup,'and storedpower means for precip itously returning thedice-cup to its position ofrest, the peri-metral wall oi'sa'id dice-cup being corrugated to augmentthe throwing effect of the return movement ofthe dice p- -v .v

10. In a game apparatus, the combination of a dice-cup mounted forrotation,'-means for causing a rotary motion of said dice-cup,"

and stored power means for precipitously returning the dice-cup to itsposition of rest,

the dice-cupbeing provided'with projections on its perim'etral wall andribs on its floor to augment the throwing efiect or" the return movementof the dice-cup;

.11. In a game apparatus-the combination ice of a'dice-cup mounted for;rotation, means I for causing a rotary motiono f said dice-cup andstored power means ton precipitously returning the dice-cupqto itsposition of rest,

the dice-cup being provided with a corrugated perimetral wall'and'radially disposed ribs on its floor toyaugment'thethrowing effect of thereturn I novement of the dicecup.-

day of March, 1926. I I V k FREDERICK MARSHALL.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this twentieth

